Apparatus for preparing and translating secret messages



(No Model.)

I. ANDERSON. APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND TRANSLATING SECRET MESSAGES.

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SXEEQEQZEAVAA 5583 $2 wmw SXEEQEQZEAVS50:82 NA fiigfiioziv 10:83 52 2%6' Wot M140 I W M'M MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ANDERSON, OF PEEKSKILL', NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND IRANSLATING SECRET MESSAGES- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 431,792, dated July 8, 1890.

Application filed December 3, 1888- Sarial No. 292,451. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peekskill, in the county of \Vestchester and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Apparatus for Preparing and Translating Secret Messages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to novel means adapted for use between correspondents who utilize type-writers of well-known form, although it is equally applicable in the art of telegraphy where messages are transmitted through the agency of perforated or prepared message strips or fillets and such as are prepared by perforating machines 'well known in that art, but having special application with my improved perforator disclosed in an application for a patent filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the 19th day of Octoher, 1888, and bearing Serial No. 288,564, which apparatus is not essentially dissimilar in its key-board arrangement and its general mode of operation, so far as the selection of characters which go to make up the message is concerned, from any well-known form of type-writer.

It is the object of my invention to rearrange the order of any adopted series of charactersas,forinstance,theletters ofthealphabetand to prepare a message in accordance with such rearranged order at the office of the sender, and then to translate said rearranged order of characters into an intelligible mes sage for permanent record at the office of the receiver by reversing the order of arrangement of the characters, so that they assume the order of the code of characters adopted.

My invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a code-blank having the characters designed for use-in this instance the alphabet-arranged in their usual order. Fig. 2 represents the code-blank prepared for use, the upper line No. 1 showing the order or arrangement for use in preparing the message, and the lower line the well-known arrangement of the letters of the alphabet. Fig. 3 represents the reverse of Fig. 2 for use in reproducing the message at the receivers office. Fig. 4 represents a message-strip as prepared and the translated message on the lower line. Figs. 5 and 6 represent the appliances or devices necessary for use in preparing and translating .themessage, respectively. In Figs. 5 and lithe ordinary key-levers K of a typewriter or perforator, if applied to a perforat-.

ing-machine, have the letters on the faces of the keys arranged as is usual.

O C are metallic caps adapted to fit snugly over the keys, as shown, there being as many of these caps as there are key-levers in the type-writer or perforator. These caps have in sequence the same characters or letters on their upper surfaces as are found on the keys of the type-writer or perforator.

In the arrangement or selection of characters shown I have simply reversed the order of letters, as will be seen on examining Figs. 2 and 3.

The persons who desire to carry on the secret correspondence elect what order of characters shall constitute the key to the code and write the order for preparing the message or correspondence on line No. l of atablet or blank above the characters which are to be used-in this instance the alphabet while those to be used in translating or reproducing the message or correspondence are Written in the same order on line No. 2, Fig. 3, of a second tablet, the regular order being on line No. 1. In other words, the order of characters for preparing and trans lating, respectively, is reversed. To prepare the message or correspondence the writer places the caps or covers bearing the order of letters or characters adopted upon the keys K of the type-writer, so that when in place the key-levers disclose the order shown in line No. 1, Fig. 2. The message or correspondence is then printed in the ordinary way by spelling out the words and actuating the keys which would properly print these words if the key-levers which now indicate such correct order of spelling be depressed; but it will be noted that the characters actually printed by depressing this order of keys take an unintelligible order, which no one can translate but those familiar with the key order or arrangement. For example, I show in Fig. 4 a secret printed message as follows: Sell my wheat. An examination of Fig. 2

shows that if the keys be capped or covered Too in the order indicated (see also Figs. 5 and and 6) the indicated key coveredby letter S will print H, and the other keys if depressed in order will print as follows: E prints V, L prints 0.. The spacing-key is then operated to separate the words; or, if desired, the spacing-key need not be operated, and in this event the message would be more difficult to discover by curious persons; or the said key maybe covered with one of said lettered caps, if desired. M prints N, Y prints B, &c. This message is now transmitted to the receiver, who in turn reverses the order of caps on his key-board, so that Z will print A, and so in sequence through the alphabet. He then takes the secret message and manipulates the keys indicated by its sequence of letters, and the letters of the message are reproduced or printed in an intelligible order, as seen on the lower line of Fig. 4. Of course the users of this method can elect any prearranged order of characters, or may adopt figures or other arbitrary characters, and have the order of arrangement of keys on their particular type-writers or analogous machines when built arranged in a selected order, provided such arrangement in the two machines be exact duplicates. When applied to perforating machines for automatic telegraphic transmission like that shown in my prior application, above referred to, the message or the transmittingfillet will be perforated in an unintelligible order, and the receiving-fillet will make a duplicate of it, which can be retranslated and printed on the-receiving-perforator in an entirely analogous manner.

I am aware that it is old in the art to provide a type-writer with a supplemental keyboard having supplemental keys adapted to bear upon the regular keys of the type-writer and located in a prearrangedorder and by the use of such an apparatus to prepare a secret message in type-written characters, and also to translate the same into an intelligible message through the agency of a similar supplemental key-board having its keys arranged in reverse order, so that when the supplemental keys on the translating-instrument are depressed in the order indicated in the sent message a correct translation of said message will be reprinted. I therefore make no claim to such a structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A series of supplemental caps adapted for use upon the keys of type-writers or analogous instruments, said caps having characters upon their surfaces and being the duplicates of those found upon the key-levers, substantially as described.

2. A series of removable caps adapted to fit upon the keys of a type-writer or analogous device and provided with characters which are the duplicates of those found upon the key-levers, substantially as described.

5. A series of removable caps for use with type-writers, having characters upon their top surfaces which correspond with those upon the key-levers of the typewriter, substantially as described.

FRANK ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

(J. J. KINTNER, J. F. QUINN. 

